The Return of Bryn
by Anime Princess
Summary: Maeve's return signify's the return of Bryn's memory; but will Sinbad and the crew of the Nomad be able to keep their sorceresses once they return home? Or will the lure of peace and family keep them on Albion whilst the crew returns to familar waters?
1. Chapter 1

The Return of Bryn

Prologue

Sinbad couldn't help himself. It was like the winds of fate were controlling his every move. No matter what he did, he couldn't remove his eyes from his beloved Maeve.

The way her fiery red hair danced in the wind.

The way her chocolate brown eyes flashed with the fires of her element when her passions were invoked.

The way her skin shimmered under the sun like millions of tiny stars tattooed into her golden tanned skin.

She was a goddess.

She was **HIS **goddess.

They had only just got her back.

**HE** had just gotten her back.

He had an irrational fear deep within his soul-he feared that she would be taken from him again.

Which was totally absurd because Maeve was a certified white magic sorceress; but all the same-something was going to happen.

Something so drastic, that it could very well rip Maeve away from him again...

….forever.

A light touch to his shoulder caused him to jump off the log fence he was resting on, spin around in a tight circle, reach for his saber, and stumbled back into the fence in shock.

A woman.

A very beautiful woman.

A very petite, beautiful, woman with sable black, curly hair, brown-black eyes, a homely heart-shaped face, and pouty, red lips.

The irrational fear stuck him again like an arrow to the heart, and yet, he knew that this woman was a kind and gentle woman who honestly meant him and Maeve no harm.

She took a step back and said with no fear or surprise in her voice, "My name is Lady Roslyn craigh Lyon of the House of Lyon. I am the daughter of Lord Lancelot Lyon, King Protectorate, Knight Commander, and First Knight  
>of the Dragon Order of the Round Table, and Princess Elaine Lyon nee Pendragon of the Houses of Lyon and the Royal House of Britannia. I need a ship to take me back to my home. Are you such an adventuring sailor?"<p>

Before he could answer, for the name sent a jolt through him, Maeve, who had been watching Doubar and Rongar attempt to dissuade their curly haired companion from explaining yet another one of his scientific inventions with Bryn sitting beside her, gasped out loud in shock, "Rose?"

He watched as his goddess smiled grandly up at the older woman, and said as she hugged the tiny black hared woman, "What are you doing here?"

'Rose' smiled and said wryly as they pulled apart from one another, "I'm here because Fergus has met his future wife-to-be, and the big baby wanted me to be there to run interference with all the other women of the court."

He felt a smile grace his lips as Maeve laughed out loud in a bright and cheerful tone and exclaimed, "So, Aunt Aithne and Uncle Galahad have **FINALLY **gotten him married off, eh?"

Lady Roslyn smirked and that was all the answer Maeve needed it seemed.

**How** did she know this Lady?

**When** did they meet?

**Where** did they meet?

**Why** was his heart beating abnormally fast?

**Why**was the sweat gathering at his temples?

He glared at this 'Lady Roslyn' from the safety of his hair. Maeve would kill him if she saw his eyes just then.

The Lady was sweet; she was dangerous.

She was gentle; she was callous.

She was going to take Maeve from him; he knew it.

She was the threat; he just didn't know what to do about it.

Roslyn turned towards Bryn and exclaimed with a smile as she hugged the equally petite woman, "Bryn! You have no idea how happy I am to see you alive! The last time I saw you, you were one your way to Hibernia to marry Prince Eamon of Airgialla! How'd you get here?"

'_What the hell?' _sputtered Sinbad in his mind.

Bryn looked at the raven hared woman with wide eyes.

Sinbad was just as shocked.

_Hibernia? Marriage? Prince Eamon? Airgialla? Wha…?_

Maeve placed an understanding hand on Roslyn's shoulder and said, "Rose, she has lost her memory. My Mind Arts aren't good enough to help Bryn regain her memory, but perhaps yours are?"

Roslyn gasped, stepped back and exclaimed apologetically as a hand flew to her rose colored lips, "Oh! Forgive me! I hadn't realized...!"

Bryn smiled gently at the older woman and said sweetly, "It's okay...I'm guessing you knew me from before the accident?"

Before Roslyn could reply, Doubar jumped in with a questioning bellow, "Lass! Just how do you know the Lady Roslyn?"

Maeve sighed and muttered as she place her fingers on her nose and rubbed the portion in between her eyes in frustration, "They are going to kill me..."

Firouz, who had been watching the proceedings with wide eyes, glanced at Sinbad and then at her once more and asked curiously yet protectively (for like Sinbad he and other others weren't eager to lose their friend once more-for any reason), "Who is going to kill you Maeve?"

Maeve, not really thinking about it, replied, "My father and my Uncles."

Sinbad felt another painful clenching around his heart.

He knew that Maeve had her secrets. Over the past few weeks, she and Dermott had revealed that they were indeed of the royal line of Britannia.

Bryn, herself, was the Princess of Britannia, but it was still unsettling to find out just how little he knew about the woman he loved so dearly.

He wasn't sure he could quite forgive her for the secrecy; he knew it wasn't her idea; he just couldn't comprehend why all the secrecy was necessary!

What was the danger in allowing close friends know?

Roslyn could only laugh.

He glared at her again; this wasn't going to end well.


	2. Chapter 2

The Return of Bryn 2

As soon as the words _'my father and my uncles'_ left through her unfiltered mouth, Maeve felt like smashing her head against a wall and clenching her teeth together as the warning began to sting deep inside close to her heart.

Her thoughts immediately went into emergency override to get herself out of this mess.

A wonderful skill, her above mentioned male family members had taught her.

She was in a tricky bind, and once Rose found out about it, her second cousin would tease her endlessly. Roslyn was a gentle soul with a real knack-as the saying went-for teasing. At this point in time though, it was a rather unlovable characteristic she had unfortunately inherited from her father.

Her mind quickly drew itself back into its emergency override deathcon 1 and laid all the facts and problems out for her to analyze…

FACT 1: She had a past the guys didn't know about.

PROBLEM 1- an unknown past she had refused to reveal making her friends and family think that she didn't trust them enough to tell them.

FACT 2: Roslyn was here and Fergus too.

PROBLEM 2- surprised arrival of second cousin which had encouraged the boys to question her about said unknown past.

FACT 3: Sinbad and the others were hurt.

PROBLEM 3- Overprotective males forcing her into an Oath of Secrecy before allowing her to leave Albion which in turn made it impossible for her to talk to her friends.

FACT 4: Roslyn was here now; Bryn too. Oath can now be broken.

PROBLEM 4- There was NO wall to bang her head against either.

She blinked and shook her head. _Why was it that she always turned a bit silly when things like this occurred?_

She turned to Roslyn and asked, "You are the Wandering Priestess. You travel on the very breath of the Lady, herself, why do you need a ship?"

Roslyn rolled her eyes, held out her arm for Dermott to settle on and said as she nuzzled his feathered head with her chin, "Pregnant, Darrel, daddy, and all the others refused to let me use to much magic, but they have no problems with letting me travel by sea."

Maeve's mouth dropped open at that. She hadn't even considered the possibility that her generation was in the process of continuing the lines of their royal blood.

She, herself, was only twenty and two having left Albion as a young lady of about ten and four. As such, at the time, she had, had very little time and inclination to pay the young men any attention as her studies into the Priestess hood had taken up much of her time. Her family had monopolized the other half happily.

She blinked and said with a giant smile and a large hug, "Congratulations Rose! How far along are you?"

Roslyn beamed happily up at her and said as her hand lightly rubbed against her belly, "I am only a few weeks in. Momma and Orrin and the others are over the roof to be a Grandmother and aunts and uncles."

Maeve grinned knowingly and led as the warning stung again, "And Uncle Lance..?"

She cousin smiled a smile reminiscent of her uncle and said cheerfully though a slight warning was in her eyes, "Bemoaning the fact that he has gray hairs to go along with the new grandchild."

She smiled and then remembered who was listening in; they were the reason her warning was going off after all-and progressively getting more painful. She could feel each section of her heart alternately squeeze in on itself and release.

Maeve turned to the others and promised apologetically at them as they were watching the two of them with confusion clearly written on their faces, "I'll explain everything once we are on board and on our way."

She hid a grimace and let her hand lightly massage the skin above her heart. It was beginning to hurt now more than sting. _Daddy is such an overprotective bastard at times…._

She made a face at Roslyn as she shot her a small scolding glance at her thoughts.

'_Right….barriers….I need those now with her close by….'_ She shook her head and rubbed her head to stave off the headache her cousin had unintentionally created with her presence. She hadn't closed off her mind in such a way in a long time.

She looked up and winched.

Sinbad's face, it hurt her worse than her Oath-pain. It was dark and he was glaring at Rose with anger. She wasn't sure why her Sinbad was acting this way, but she was determined to find out!

She reached out to him and bit her lip as her hands came into contact with his chilled ones.

It wasn't cold out.

This was a darkness inside that chilled his heart to her.

She moved right in front of him, placed her hand on his stubble cheek, he really needed to shave- _'focus_ _Maeve!'_ she scolded herself mentally and said, "Sinbad, after we lost my brother, my father grew very protective. In order for me to even be allowed to leave, I had to take an Oath of Secrecy…"

A large welling of pain began to thump painfully against her chest; she was dangerously close to going over the line."

"Maeve…" warned Roslyn as Dermott squawked and flapped his wings, _'Maevelynn don't you dare…!'_

She turned and glared at them and said sharply even as her stance began to wobble a bit as the pain began to grow and cause her to breath in and out harshly and her face flush, "I don't care! They need to know!"

She turned to Bryn and ordered, "Bryn, I need you to say something for me."

Her cousin eyed her with some trepidation, not because she was fearful of her, but because she was fearful FOR her, "And that is?"

Maeve squeezed Sinbad's arm for reassurance, and noticed that it wasn't nearly as cold anymore and said, "I, Brenna Pendragon, craigh of Pendragon of the Royal House of Pendragon. Daughter of High King Arthur Pendragon, Liege Lord of the Dragon Order of the Round Table, guardian of the Mighty Lady Cainnacht Sioraiocht, High King of All Albion, and King's Consort Lady Genevieve nee Cudyll Bach (Merlin) of the Houses of Shadow and the Royal House of Britannia do declare the magic oath of secrecy bound to Lady Maevelynn of the House of Paldor be broken! So mote it be!"

Bryn blinked and she could see her cousin's nerves grow as she unconsciously stood tall and recited, "I, Brenna Pendragon, craigh Pendragon of the Royal House of Britannia, daughter of High King Arthur Pendragon, Liege Lord of the Dragon Order of the Round Table, guardian of the Mighty Lady Cainnacht Sioraiocht, High King of All Albion and King's Consort Lady Genevieve nee Cudyll Bach (Merlin) of the House of Shadow and the Royal House of Britannia do declare the magic oath of secrecy bound to Lady Maevelynn of the House of Paldor daughter of Lord Tristan Paldor, Knight of the Round Table, Head of Intelligence and the Lady Isolde Paldor nee Cuid a uisce the Lady of the Lake, Gatekeeper of Avalon be broken! So mote it be!"

She felt a huge grin rise in her as Bryn added on more than she had asked her too. Her memories, while not actively enabled inside her, were instinctively engaged when her cousin's magic was in the forefront of her mind!

Maeve grinned as a golden glow rose up from Bryn and hit her and entered her through her mouth.

"Lass!" shouted Doubar with worry in his blue eyes.

"Maeve!" cried out Sinbad as he gripped her in an effort to hold her close and keep her safe. She loved him for that-she was barely able to stay on her feet as it was right now because of the pain of the Oath and the magic that was currently running through her.

"Impossible!" cried out Firouz. She sighed, even with his test to prove himself to her element, to show how he loved and believed in her; she knew his logical mind was already trying to find another reason for the magic that was steadily growing around her, Bryn, and Roslyn.

She knew he wouldn't find it.

She knew he'd come to the understanding of her magic soon enough.

For now though, he'd be his loyally, silly, stubborn, logical self.

She wouldn't want him any other way though.

She turned to Roslyn and raised an eyebrow.

She smirked and said smoothly, as if she had been waiting for this the entire time, "I, Lady Roslyn craigh Lyon of the House of Lyon, Roaming Priestess of Avalon, daughter of Lord Lancelot Lyon, King Protectorate, Knight Commander, and First Knight of the Dragon Order of the Round Table, and Princess Elaine Lyon nee Pendragon of the Houses of Lyon and the Royal House of Britannia, and Dowager Priestess of the Lady's Breath do declare the magic oath of secrecy bound to Lady Maevelynn of the House of Paldor, daughter of Lord Tristan Paldor, Knight of the Round Table, Head of Intelligence and the Lady Isolde Paldor nee Cuid a uisce the Lady of the Lake, Gatekeeper of Avalon be broken! So mote it be!"

Maeve felt the heavy burden of her secret fly away from her. She felt the magic that had bound her past deep within her heart, unlock. It was like the very core of her being was now free, and she felt ecstatic! She could really, truly, and honestly feel the Lady within her for the first time in nearly a decade. She felt so happy she could burst. She was nearly vibrating as the energy her oath kept at bay rush through her veins igniting her very being once more.

In fact, she grinned impishly at her family, and wiggled her fingers.

All, but Rose, gasped and jumped back in shock.

Her fingers were surrounded by the fires of her spirit and danced majestically on her fingertips.

The fire, at its core, was crystal clear.

Where once had glowed the fires of red, orange, yellow, and blue, now glowed with a pure, clear, energy.

Hot enough to liquefy and vaporize any metal within seconds.

She turned to them and said, "Let's go."


	3. Chapter 3

The Return of Bryn 3

She looked….she looked…he didn't know how to put his feelings to words. With the utterings of this lady, Lady Roslyn of the House of Lyon, his love had been devotedly surrounded by a soft, radiating nimbus cloud of what could be only described to him as a mother's lovingly, nurturing embrace.

Her hair danced on the winds that fluttered around her; giving her and angelic halo of red fire around her heart-shaped, rounded head.

The power blooming out from her made the surrounding air hum and shimmer with soothing warmth much like on hot summer days when the eye was tricked by the sun in the distance by watery mirages in the distance.

He had never known the true devotion of a mother's love. Using his own observations of sincerely, dedicated mothers caring for their children and Doubar's own descriptions of their mother's true love for them, the light that was emanating outwards from Maeve's very soul could only be described as a mother's love.

Was this Maeve's true power? If so, why had it been bound by her father? Why had had father weakened his daughter and THEN sent her out into the world?

A world full of heartbreak.

A world full of danger.

Full of sadness.

Full of suffering…

Full of death…?

In the moment he felt an illogical wave of hatred for a man he had never met rise up within him. How dare this so-called FATHER send out his love, his only love, into the world so unprotected?!

He looked at Maeve's beaming face as the light from within cuddled up around her. She looked like one of those angels that the Christians spoke of. Her hair, as beautiful as the dying orange-red sun at dusk danced on the lightly blowing southern warm winds.

Her eyes danced like fire is want to do in the night as it eagerly ate up the air around it to keep it burning alive. Her lightly golden tanned skin, still so pale against his own, glittered like a million stars at night and her smile was the softest he had ever witnessed.

And it all was focused on him.

He felt a wave of disgust for himself roll up within his soul. He didn't deserve her or her love. He, who had slept with Shirenz, because he could no longer stand the horrible pain of missing her and because she had a passing resemblance to his Celtic Sorceress.

Just as his thoughts took on this dark tone, he felt her hand lightly touch his cheek. He looked into her chocolate brown eyes and once again felt her loving warmth sooth his chilled one.

Her eyes were pleading with him to let her explain things more fully.

To take her cousin onto his ship.

To bring her home.

Could he do it?

He looked at the petite raven hared woman once more.

And again he felt the torturous fear clamp his heart and rent it in two.

She was dangerous to him.

She was going to bring him more heartache than ever before.

He looked into Maeve's fiery brown chocolate orbs of life.

His anger and resentment of Lady Roslyn dissolved the gentle warmth infusing him.

He nodded; they had planned on going to Albion anyways.

Her smiled lite up her face and made her shine with an inner light he was slightly jealous of. Was her devotion to his Lady so much that the releasing of her secret completely changed her so?

Did he truly know his Maeve then?

The closer they got to the Nomad, the stronger his resentment for this Roslyn grew. Just who was she really? If she was such a powerful sorceress, why did she need a ship to travel? Why did she come to him? There were plenty of other merchant ships at port, so why his?

_She is pregnant._ His mind reminded him. _Are you truly so evil to wish danger and possible death to an unborn child?_

Guilt immediately hit him as he thought this. No matter what he felt about the mother, the child was innocent of all wrong doing. He wouldn't let the child possibly die just to save himself the heartache he knew was coming.

Once on board, Sinbad raised his hand and said, "Welcome aboard My Lady."

Lady Roslyn easily climbed aboard. The ease of her attempt showed how experienced she was with traveling on ships such as the Nomad. She walked towards him as the others climbed aboard and gave him a knowing smile.

He frowned at her. How could she seem to be so familiar with him after so short a time? Her grin grew just a tiny bit more as Maeve reached her. The differences between her and Maeve was so startling that he could not see how they were related at all. From Maeve's strong, tall stature to her fiery spirit and hair and attitude to Roslyn's petite, unassumingly normal stature and sable black curly hair to her cool persona spoke of no relationship at all.

But then again, Bryn was Maeve's second cousin and they looked very different from one another too.

Bryn and Roslyn though, their family resemblance was easily seen. It was all too easy to see their family bloodlines. Even when he was human, Dermott looked more like Bryn and Roslyn than he did to Maeve.

He turned to Maeve and raised an eyebrow.

She gave him an even stare and nodded to his silent question. She would reveal it all now.

Silently he led the way to the entrance of the below cabins and into the galley. There he walked purposefully to their food stocks and grabbed a loaf of newly bought bread, still slightly warm from the morning fires that birthed the bread and a hunk of goat cheese and pure, clean water to drink from and the others filtered into their seats.

Sinbad turned and faced the others. Maeve and Roslyn, with Dermott still perched quite contently on her arm were the only ones who seemed quite calm and serene. For a moment he felt a jolt of anger at Maeve. Why was she so calm in the face of all this emotional discontent he, himself, was facing?!

_She doesn't know, does she?_ He conscious gripped back. _It's not like you've told her anything, have you?_ He pushed those thoughts aside. He knew his conscious was right, but with all the emotional upheaval he had been through recently, with confronting the devil, finding out the truth of what he was changing into, finding Maeve, and her return had sent him through all sorts of emotional ups and downs he wasn't quite sure where north was any more.

He comforted himself with this. It was understandable that he was so confused and lost within his own mind.

He placed the food down and glanced at the others. Bryn looked lost, but there was a glimmer of something more shining in her eyes that had never been there before. Perhaps the return of Maeve and meeting this Roslyn lady again, apparently, had stroked a fire within her that she had forgotten about with her amnesia? Even with Maeve and Dermott telling her stories of her past, Bryn's memory had yet to return. Dermott had said there was a sort of magical ward around it, whatever that meant, that was blocking all their attempts to gaining entry, but just then it looked like Bryn's memory was the closest to the surface of her mind than it ever was; like a simply jolt of power could break the ward and her memory could come flooding back to her at any minute.

Doubar looked just as lost as he did; even more so, because Doubar was a simple man who understood the simpler ways and things of life. He wasn't one for complicated emotions or thoughts. If he felt something for someone, man or woman, he acknowledge them and then went with the feelings. He didn't complicate things with 'what-ifs' or 'perhaps-she feelings this'.

Firouz was denying the magic, but was curious all the same. His scientific mind was running at top speed he was sure, and no doubt questions were being generated ready to spill out of his mouth the moment he felt they would be answered.

Rongar, like Bryn, was calm. Sinbad knew there was hardly anything in the world that startled his Moorish friend. His potential for patience was so much that even when he was startled or surprised by something, he was able to calm down quickly and wait the problem out.

Sinbad wished he had that patience right then as Maeve nervously sat down next to his customary seat and began to play with her hair. Sinbad sat the food down and then seated himself down.

Never once did his eyes moved from her face.

He wanted answers.

He was going to get them!

His even stare, which showed none of his conflicting thoughts, met her gaze and he asked, "Well?"

He watched Maeve's face as it tumbled through a myriad of emotions.

Happiness: possibly because she was reunited with family?

Eagerness and nervousness: to reveal her past?

Fear: was that fear of him in her eyes?

He closed his eyes as another jolt of disgust rolled up inside him. He didn't want her to be afraid of him! He loved her, but how could he really love her if all he knew of her was not even the truth? Even her own powers weren't what he truly knew of her!

She sat up met his eyes and began, "First of all, as you know I'm not the daughter of a pig farmer. My mother is a Priestess of the Mother Goddess and the Guardian of the doors of Avalon the magical center of the kingdom of Albion and my father is the Head of Intelligence for the kingdom of Albion both under the power and command of my cousin-uncle, King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot."

He nodded and waited.

She took a deep breath and continued, "You also know I was trained from the moment I first expressed my magic on how to use them."

She looked at him, he nodded, and he knew she had been young, took a deep breath once more, and said, "I was five."

Shock rolled through him and he gasped. His wide eyes met her own and she nodded seriously. If she had been trained in magics from such an early age, why had she been so weak when they first met?!

She continued, "From the time I was five I learnt the teachings of the Mother Goddess. I trained in my magic and grew stronger quickly. The problems began when I was ten and four, and Rumina came to our home."

Her eyes grew cloudy with the memory and the pain it invoked. Despite his fear and anger, his heart melted for her pain. He wanted to hold her close and never let another thing hurt her, but he knew she'd not only, not, allow that she'd also burn his backside figuratively and literally for attempting to do so.

Maeve's eyes cleared as she continued, "My brother, Dermott," His eyes jumped Dermott still on Roslyn's arm, "and my father, Tristan, had been with me training in the swords when Rumina arrived. She proclaimed she was there to get revenge for her mother's banishment from the Isle of Avalon and I, as a sister of the Avalonian Order, was charged with seeing her removed from our home because I was the one who spotted her."

Sinbad saw her sigh, and despite himself, he placed his hand on hers and gave it a supportive squeeze. She glanced up at him and the smile she gave him made his heart melt once more. How she could cut through all his defenses he didn't know, but she could and he loved her all the more for it.

As she continued he felt warmth run up his arm through their joined hands, "I was young and arrogant. I didn't pay attention to Rumina as well as I should have. I had thought I was wining the fight and as such I underestimated her. She had learned our ways of magic from her mother, but from Turok she had learned another; this is was cost me my brother's life and freedom…"

Sinbad turned back to Dermott as the hawk jumped off Roslyn's arm and transformed seamlessly into the human he was still getting to know, "Maeve, we've been over this countless times, yes you were arrogant, but I CHOSE to jump in front of that curse."

Maeve's brown eyes filled with tears as she protested yet again, "But Dermott…"

Dermott's gray eyes met her own brown ones, his finger rested against her lips, as he said, "No, no buts, I did what I did, and I have no regrets about doing it Maevelynn. Please, let it go, I'm back and we are going home now. This is a time for happiness not regrets."

Sinbad's heart clenched again at Dermott's words: we are going home. Was her home the Nomad though? Wasn't it Dermott's and Bryn's too? Why was his family trying to break apart after they had finally gotten them all back together again?!

Roslyn's brown-black eyes met his as she said, "Dermott got cures by a mixed magic that none of Avalon could combat; this you already know, but what you don't know is that Maeve wasn't allowed to leave, no one was allowed to leave Albion, without Oaths of secrecy to protect us from those who would try to harm us. Even Bryn had to be oath secured before she could leave for Hibernia."

Bryn tilted her head and asked, "Why though? According to Dermott and Maeve I was heading there to meet my fiancée?"

Roslyn tilted her head and said, "Uncle Tristan always took our protection very seriously. It stems from his tenure as a literal Roman slave, I think, but he wanted no one to find out about Avalon, its magics, how powerful their priestesses are, nor our royal pasts. Maeve, not only had to take the oath to leave the island, she had to take the oaths to protect the secrets of her magic, her birth, and her brother's true past as a human. The only one she could tell, the ONLY one, was the person she chose to be her eastern magics teacher."

Firouz breathed out, "DimDim."

Maeve nodded and continued, "As a fail-safe, Aunt Morgawse built into the oaths the only way to break the oaths…three of the bloodline must say the release."

Doubar put in with a harsh voice, "Then why couldn't you, Bryn, and Dermott release you from your last oath?"

Sinbad watched Maeve's face wince at his brother's tone. As much as he wanted to help her, he also wanted to know this.

Maeve sighed, and grumbled familiar tones, "My father…."

She continued as she punched her hair over her shoulder again, "No three oath keepers can break multiple oaths."

Sinbad watched as the sun seemed to light up in Bryn's eyes as she asked but also stated, like she was remembering something but wasn't completely sure she was right, "So you, Dermott, and I could release one oath, but we couldn't release the second you were under, right Maeve? That's why we could do it just now with Roslyn…the three oath keepers were different."

The smile gracing his love's face was wondrous as she nodded and said, "Correct."

Roslyn turned to Maeve and raised an eyebrow.

Maeve crossed her arms and shook her head negatively.

Sinbad eyed them both with a mixture of anxiousness and fear, "um…is something wrong ladies?"

Maeve growled and said, "No Rose! Not yet! What about Fergus?!"

Roslyn rolled her eyes and said rather pointedly as if it should have been already known-what that something was he didn't know, "He wants to stay for a few more weeks; I don't have that luxury. I have girls to find after all."

Maeve huffed and said with crossed arms, "I'm not a water elemental Rose, I can't open the way."

Roslyn rose to her full height, still a good half foot below Maeve's true height, and said, "Maeve you are the daughter of the guardian of the gates, they WILL respond to you."

She continued, "And it's the only way to get Bryn's memory back."

Maeve's arms dropped as she sighed.

Sinbad, while he felt that no real answers had been given, for the information they had been told, they had already known from before, placed a hand on Maeve's shoulder and asked, "What's wrong?"

Maeve let herself fall into his side, and he eagerly wrapped an arm around her waist, as she said, "Although my mother is the guardian and water elemental, I am neither. I have never been able to cast the spell to open the gates, let alone the one to bring them forth! If I fail, I could cause a terrible reaction that could cause irreparable harm to not only me but you…"

He felt the rage rise up in him again. It flared with a chill so cold it could burn the skin as she looked at them all and amended, "All of you."


	4. Chapter 4

The Return of Bryn 4

"What do you mean, irreparable harm?!" roared Doubar as he jumped to his feet hands automatically flying to his waist where his cutlass was sheathed.

"I will not put Maeve or this crew at risk!" shouted Sinbad heatedly as he glared at Roslyn.

Rongar's hands flew in a flurry of signs that she read to mean, "How dare you place us in harm's way for a shorter trip!"

Firouz blinked and said pointedly, "One cannot open a magical portal and simple be in one place on the other side; it's scientifically impossible."

There was a cacophony of noise all around her. Each man there was on their feet exclamations of fear and nervousness on their lips.

For her.

For them.

For them all; and she adored them for it.

She hadn't wanted this to come out as it did. Her mother's powers and connection to Albion and Avalon had always been a point of contestation for her.

As one of her mother's heiresses to the line of guardians, it was her duty to practice and will forth the mists that veiled Avalon from those unworthy. It was her duty to will the splitting of the veil and open the passage to Avalon, but she never could quite manage it.

Her powers were simply not enough back then to do so.

Part of her was glad; she was always so deadly tired after trying to will the pass open, but another part of her, the part whom tried ever so hard to please her mother, felt guilty that she could not split the veil and bring forth the island.

A part of her always thought it was because she was a fire elemental; the direct opposite of the necessary water elemental needed to open the doors to Avalon, but her mother wasn't a water elemental either; she was of the wilds. But her mother was a special case.

Another, smaller part that she didn't want to admit to being there was afraid. She fear the levels of magic needed to will the veil to split and carry the boat to Avalon's shores.

She hadn't thought she had the strength to do it then.

Then again, she had also been ten and three the last time she tried, and not two moons later she and Dermott had been on a ship heading for Baghdad, so she didn't know if she could open the doors or not.

She glanced around at the men she called her friends and felt warmth grow within her heart and smiled.

They were her family. While she missed her mother, father, and brothers, and sisters, she couldn't deny that these men had carved their own bits and pieces of her heart too.

They brought home the feelings of home she had always felt from the moment she stepped aboard the Nomad two years ago. DimDim had been right; some changes are good; and the decision to stay aboard had been a good one.

She turned to Roslyn, who was standing as unflappable as she ever was, a trait inherited from her father, as she continued, "You are of the bloodline; your own mother isn't a natural water elemental either yet she opens the way."

Maeve shook her head and protested again, "Mother was chosen for her role by the Mother herself; she has the Mother's permission to guard the passage to Avalon."

She focused more on her cousin and tried to ignore the dwindling, but still mighty protests of her friends and loved ones, "The one time I tried, with mother being there, as you recall, had me flat on my back exhausted and near death for three weeks while my magic slowly returned to me."

This caused her boys to abruptly halt their words. They blinked stupidly at her for a brief second before fires erupted within their eyes and their protests flew from their mouths again.

"Maeve won't be doing any such magics just to get you home!" shouted Doubar.

"How can you call yourself her cousin?!" cried Firouz.

"Get the hell off my ship." Came Sinbad's harsh tones.

Maeve bit her lip as absolute silence jarred the senses within the tiny room. She knew Sinbad would react this way. She hadn't wanted this to come out as it did, but she knew the minute Roslyn asked her to open the gates, the dangers would come out as well.

Roslyn turned to Sinbad and said coolly, "Opening the path will make a two month journey only two hours. Maeve can open it; her strength is many times more than what it was, and as I am the Roaming Priestess, the mother will allow the opening even though Maeve isn't the current guardian."

Firouz pointed to her and echoed, "Not the current guardian…?"

Roslyn smiled enigmatically and stated, "Her mother is the current guardian and her grandmother before her, and great-grandmother before her. 'Tis only time when Maeve herself will be summoned to become the guardian too."

Maeve saw Sinbad's face bleach white, whiter than any ghost and said strongly as she placed a hand on his, "We cannot know who the next guardian will be; not only am I a fire elemental, a direct opposite of the necessary water elemental needed, I am also one of four possible heiresses…."

She paused then added, "that is, unless mother has birthed more girls since I left?"

Roslyn nodded her head and said, "There have been seven more born of our generation. A sister and brother to you, Sierra and Breeanna, a brother for me named Gilead, a sister for Bryn named Lucinda, two daughters were born to Lunete and Dagonet named Halesia and Morina, and a daughter to Dagonet and Fulucina named Daphne."

Maeve nodded and corrected herself, "Well then, I am one of five possible choices and with my fire element I might just be last on the list despite being the first born."

Sinbad slammed his fist against the table and demanded, "Why should Maeve open this….portal when it can cause her and us so much harm?"

Roslyn eyed him and said serenely, "Maeve can cast it. All she needs to do is believe in herself."

Maeve shook her head and stated again, "I cannot; I do not have the mother's blessings too."

Rose turned to her, ignoring the mutterings of her friends, and said, "Have you tried?"

Maeve snorted and said, "Of course not, I've had no need to want too. Why should I? Mother opens the way easily enough for those who know the secret."

Roslyn looked at her and said, "You also know that the Roaming Priestess can help the process along with little to no problems to the priestess who opens the passage whether they be the guardian or not."

Bryn looked to her and then to Roslyn and said with a hesitant air, "I have waited a year to get my memory back Roslyn, two months more isn't going to matter much."

Roslyn turned to her and said seriously, "Yes actually, it does."

Maeve was suddenly filled with anxiousness as she turned to her cousin and Dermott asked with his arms crossed over his chest and his hawk-like grey eyes stared holes through her, "What do you mean?"

Roslyn sighed and said, "While it was a happy chance of circumstances that caused us to meet once more cousins, it was not by chance that I and Fergus were here. Albion stands on the brink of war with the clans of Hibernia."

She met their eyes with her own and ended, "We came to seal an alliance with marriage between Fergus and Princess Amber-Sabiriah of Alexandria."

Maeve felt all the blood in her face drain away and for the first time in her life felt like fainting. She blinked as the world around her dimmed and her eyesight grew hazy around the edges. She felt a tightening in her chest and the blood was pounding in her ears…

War.

War was coming to Albion.

War was coming to Albion and she hadn't known.

Surely her mother could have sent a message on the wind?

Even if she couldn't hear it; Dermott could have.

He could have passed the message along.

War.

She glanced at Dermott. He was frowning heavily and twitching with his throwing blades that were strapped to his chest much like Rongar's were. His fists were clenching and opening around two blades, and his feet were making him bounce up and down with nervous energy.

Bryn gasped and she stumbled and sat abruptly on the seat behind her. Her fiancée was to wage war on her home.

She bit her lip and looked more closely at Roslyn.

Her cousin, at first glance, looked to be in wonderful health, but now with this news she cast her magic into her eyes and saw her through mage-sight.

Roslyn's face was pinched with fatigue. Her face was pale and her form thinner than what was probably healthy.

Her eyes were proud but tired and her stature was hunched over as if the weight of the world rested upon it.

With a jolt, she realized that it very might be. Roslyn was pregnant; she shouldn't be travelling to begin with. It was one of Auntie Morgawse's rules. A Roaming Priestess does not travel whilst pregnant!

She watched Dermott as he too seemed to see directly into their cousin's form as grimaced as he commanded, "Lower the glamor's Rosie."

Maeve held her breath as Roslyn eyed them, but she did not comply.

Maeve rolled her eyes and said, "Fine, if that's how it's going to be."

She stood up and held her hand out.

It was grabbed by Sinbad, "Maeve…?"

She looked at him and saw the worry, confusion, and fear there. They really weren't doing too good a job at this explanation thing.

She placed her hand on his cheek and said, "This is a simple spell Sinbad, no more dangerous to cast than me creating a fireball."

She watched him eye her speculatively, and when he nodded she sighed in relief.

She turned to the others and made them each meet her eyes with their own.

"Don't worry, this isn't harmful to me."

Doubar looked troubled; but he always did when magic was afoot since he couldn't fight against it.

Firouz looked skeptical and she smiled at him. No matter what, he would always second guess her, but she also knew he cherished her as she did him.

Rongar met her gaze and nodded; he could see she had no fear of this.

When she met Bryn's gaze it held worry there, but also strength.

"I have full confidence in you Maeve." She said with a smile.

Maeve returned it, and turned to Roslyn and recited,

"_**What is hidden from sight, **_

_**darkened and shadowed, **_

_**Let the shadows be torn and light returned!"**_

She watched with smugly as Roslyn's form waivered and twisted until the beautiful form that was once there was dispersed with the sounds of a tearing cloth and Roslyn's true form was shown.

Her smugness vanished with a cry as she rushed to her cousin's side and exclaimed, "Rose!"

Rose, who had once been her idol, smiled up at her gently and said, "I'm okay, just tired. It's been a hard two months."

Before she could ask more, Firouz gently pushed his way through and said, "I'll take it from here Maeve."

She looked at her friend and saw the confusion in them, but also the promise that her cousin was in good hands. She knew this already, and she easily let him take Roslyn from her and with Rongar's help, took her to her room.

She stood up and looked at her family.

She bit her lip and looked at Dermott.

He was staring at her with the same seriousness that had always graced the face of their father. Their home was going to war. She knew without their telepathy that he wanted to be by their family's side as quickly as possible.

She turned to Bryn, who had been wringing her hands in nervousness. Her cousin must be a complete wreck. Her memory gone; and not her fiancée could be going to war with her father because she had not made it to his home.

She sighed, turned to Sinbad, and said seriously, "I have no choice; I HAVE to open the veil."

***The explanations as to WHY this magic is dangerous to Maeve will be in either the next two to three chapters.


End file.
